asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) how many persons were wholly employed in the manufacturing trades in the Northern Regions before the implementation of the Selective Employment Tax; and what are the last available figures;(2) what estimate she has made of the shift of employment which has occurred from the service and distributive trades to the manufacturing trades in the Northern Region arising from the implementation of the Selective Employment Tax;(3) how many persons were wholly employed in the service and distributive trades in the Northern Region before the implementation of the Selective

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN NORTHERN REGION AT JUNE, 1966 AND JUNE, 1967 AND CHANGES BETWEEN THESE DATES
			Change June, 1966–June, 1967
	June, 1966 (000's)	June, 1967 (000's)	Numbers (000's)	Percent.
Manufacturing Industries:
(Orders III to XVI of the Standard Industrial Classification)	465·3	456·4	−8·9	−1·9
Service Industries:
Transport and Communication (Order XIX)	82·2	80·1	−2·1	−2·6
Distributive Trades (Order XX)	159·7	152·8	−6·9	−4·3
Insurance, Banking and Finance (Order XXI)	20·5	19·8	−0·7	−3·4
Professional and Scientific Services (Order XXII)	136·4	140·7	+4·3	+3·2
Miscellaneous Services (Order XXIII)	109·7	107·9	−1·8	−1·6
Public Administration (Order XXIV)	74·0	76·5	+2·5	+3·4
All Service Industries (Orders XIX—XXIV)	582·5	577·8	−4·7	−0·8

The table shows changes in the level of employment in the manufacturing and service industries in Northern Region between June, 1966 and 1967; it does not show movements from one industry to another. The service industries shown above are those commonly recognised for statistical purposes; they do not, in all cases, correspond with Selective Employment Tax-bearing industries. The fall in employment in tax-bearing industries in Northern Region between June, 1966, and June, 1967, is estimated to have been about 4 per cent. It is not possible to measure the extent to which the changes may be attributed to the Selective Employment Tax as distinct from other economic measures, but it seems likely that the tax has been a major factor in them.